Symphony in the black, expects downtown return in fall 2009

The Richmond Symphony finished its 50th anniversary 2007-08 season $25,715 in the black on a $4.75 million budget, reports David Fisk, the orchestra's executive director.

The symphony, heading into its fifth season of playing subscription concerts in church sanctuaries and other alternative venues, expects to know by the end of this month whether the renovated Carpenter Theatre (formerly the Carpenter Center) in Richmond CenterStage, the new downtown performing-arts complex, will be ready for orchestra concerts in fall 2009.

As of this week, Fisk said, CenterStage construction is on schedule.

The Virginia Opera, which has been staging its productions in the Landmark Theater, also is scheduled to move into the Carpenter Theatre for its 2009-10 season.